Attachment for tufting machines



United States Patent 11113,543,705

[72] Inventors Raymond Victor Evans; [56] References Cited Thomas Alban Donlan, Blackburn, n- STATES PATENTS England 3 019 748 2/1962 Card 112/79 6 P 3,095,840 7/1963 Ballard. 112/79x [22] Flled Nov. 1,1968

3,100,467 8/1963 R1ce 112/79 [45] Paemed Dec-111970 3 102 553 10/1963 Beasley 112/79 [73] Assignee Singer-Cobble Limited Blackburn, England Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin [32] Priority Nov, 2, 1967 Assistant Examiner-George V. Larkin 33] G t B it i Attorneys-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams and Julian [31 No. 49759/67 Falk [54] ATTACHMENT FOR TUFTING MACHINES 5 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

0.5. CI 112/79 D05c 15/04 Field of Search .1 1 12/79, 79.5, 79.6

ABSTRACT: A tufting machine, especially a machine for producing high pile fabric, is provided with a pusher member adjacent to the tufting needles, the member being reciprocable across the path of the needles in synchronism with the motion thereof and being arranged to engage the last entered tuft or row thereof and to hold same out of the path of the needle during the initial part of the forward motion thereof.

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 INVENTORS Raymond V. Evans Thomas A. Donlo-n ATTORNEY ATTACHMENT FOR TUFTING MACHINES The invention concerns attachments for tufting machines.

The backing fabric in the machine disclosed in our copending application aforesaid moves upwardly through the tufting position and it has been found that if a high pile fabric is being produced on the machine, then it is possible for the tufts of the last inserted line thereof to lie in the path of the needles during the next insertion with the result that the needles engage such tufts to cause damage thereto, or to the fabric as a whole.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby the difficulty aforesaid might be avoided.

Thus, according to the present invention, in a tufting machine we provide a pusher member adapted and arranged to engage and to support the last inserted tuft or row thereof at a position out of the path of movement of the needles, at least during a part of the next succeeding machine cycle, thereby to prevent interference between a needle on its reciprocation during the said next succeeding cycle and a loop entered at a previous machine cycle, the said pusher member being cyclically movable in synchronism with the machine operation.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the single FIG. of the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment thereof in diagrammatic cross section.

Referring now to the drawing, a tufting machine having neeclles ll reciprocable through a backing fabric 12 moving vertically across a needle plate 13 and cooperating with a looper 14 to form successive loops 15 in the said fabric 12, is provided'with a pusher member 16 extending parallel to the needle plate and between such plate 1.3 and the loopers 14. The pusher member is movable between a position in which the said member lies beyond the path of the needles in the direction of movement of the backing fabric and bears against the last inserted loops and a position at the opposite side of such path.

The pusher member 16 is supported at intervals along its length by bars or arms 17 of generally C-shape the said arms being secured to a shaft 18 which is caused to oscillate in synchronism with the operation of the tufting machine and being shaped to provide an adequate clearance relative to the looper shaft 19 during its oscillatory motion.

In operation, the motion of the shaft 18 is so timed that the pusher member is removed from the path of movement of the needles during the early stages of the forward movement thereof, the speed of the needles being sufficient to ensure that the needles complete their forward movement before the last inserted loops fall into the path thereof.

The invention is not restricted to the exact features of the embodiment hereinbefore described since alternatives will readily present themselves to one skilled in the art.

Thus, for example, although we prefer to support the pusher member by spaced bars or arms extending about the looper shaft and below the loopers, it may be found more convenient in some circumstances to support such member by bars or arms disposed wholly above the looper shaft and loopers and to cause the member to move across the path of movement of the needles to engage the last inserted loop and hold same against the last inserted loops on withdrawal of the needles, the said member positively holding the loops clear of the needle path during the next tuft insertion.

it may be convenient in some instances, as in the case of the embodiment illustrated, to utilise the knife shaft of the tufting machine, if such is provided, for supporting and moving the arms.

We claim:

1. A tufting machine including a horizontal reciprocating needle and means for feeding a base fabric in an upward vertical direction relative to said needle, said needle being opera tive to penetrate said base fabric for inserting a row of succcssive loops therein, a pusher member adapted and arranged to engage and to support each of the last inserted loops at a position out of the path of movement of said needle at least during a part of the next succeeding machine cycle such that interference between said needle and said loop during the next succeedmg penetration of said needle is prevented, the said pusher member being cyclically movable in synchronism with the movement of the needle and base fabric.

2. A' tufting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said pusher member has a projecting portion thereof movable across the path of movement of the needle thus to engage the tuft or row thereof.

3. A tufting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pusher member is adapted to release the tuft or row thereof at least during the latter part of the penetration stroke of the needle.

4. A tufting machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein the pusher member includes a projecting portion reciprocable across the path of movement of the needles, the said pusher member further including a plurality of spaced arms upon which the said member is mounted, said arms being secured, in their turn to an oscillating shaft for cyclical movement therewith.

5. A tufting machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein each arm is of generally C-shape such arms being adapted to extend partially about the looper shaft of the tufting machine and to support the pusher member at one end thereof and in spaced parallel disposition relative to the tufting machine loopers. 

